Wookie,
Thanks for responding. Yeah, reading back over my post those examples did not convey what I meant. In the minds of that church, the dress code was what God intended for all believers. I was trying to convey that they thought this attire served as one's testimony. I remember my coach saying he doesn't wear shorts in public because God intended that only his wife see certain parts of his body. Perfectly fine for him, given the context, but obviously not an "absolute" blueprint for all Christians.
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I disagree that moral relativism, nihilism, and iconoclasm pose the greatest threat to Christianity. I think Christians are naturally resilient to this kind of assault on their beliefs
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But there is a generation of people whose only view of Christianity is fundies garnering media attention, and Hollywood portrayals. People like Bill Maher can say a few soundbites stereotyping all Christians while garnering applause that give his sentiments false impetus. In order to increase or maintain membership and relevancy, I think the Church has shifted either as an overreaction in distancing itself from the kookies or in becoming more socially acceptable within their respective communities by placating p-correctness and adopting a laissez faire approach towards the moral teachings of scripture. It seems ministers are apologetic regarding some of scriptures that hit us where we live or simply avoid them altogether so as not to offend. A subtle creeping of moral relativism IMO. Would love to hear your thoughts!
Edit:
The Celestial Railroad a short story and easy read by Hawthorne addresses this issue beautifully! (A little OT for the thread but relevant to this post)